2017 Draft Thread

[theGreatRC]

Wish we could get Beverly & Anderson from the Rox, wouldn't mind using our cap on them so the Rox can go for someone else.

Rubio & Beverly defensive back court would be so fun to watch.

Beverly is also one of the guys I wouldn't mind replacing Ricky if we do trade him, love what he brings at the PG position

[TheProdigy]

Which 3 PGs deserve minutes?

Dunn can have a role on the team but he showed me nothing in his rookie year that makes me think he's the point guard I'm hitching my wagon to expecting deep postseason runs. Think his role is ultimately defensive rotation combo guard. That kind of player can coexist with Smith.

Jones is a nice 3rd PG who can fill in in a pinch but the more he plays, the more his weaknesses get exposed. Not letting his presence on the team prevent me from taking a swing at a potential star.

Smith could be a star.

You don't stop drafting PGs because you've tried and haven't found a good one yet.

What about Rubio? How does he coexist with Smith? Rubio is a lock to get at least 30 minutes at pg. Then Wiggins and LaVine will take up almost all of the minutes at sg. That leaves Dunn and Jones with zero minutes.

Are you ready to throw in the towel on Dunn, a 2nd year player because he looked bad in his rookie year? You need to give these young guys a chance to develop.

Not giving up on Dunn - said he can have a role as a combo guard who's value stems from his defensive ability. I think he can coexist with Smith.

Rubio is here now and I think he's a fine bridge guard for when Smith is ready to take the reigns. You are looking at drafting a PG through the scope of the 2017-18 season. Look further.

In three years when Wiggins is 25 and Towns is 24 and the Warriors are coming down from what appears to be a long-lasting dominant stretch, Smith would be all of 22 years old. That's a potential Big 3 without even accounting for Lavine or whoever else the team might add.

SF: Wiggins 20/Free Agent 28
SG: Lavine 32/Wiggins 16
PG: Rubio 30/Smith 18

Where does combo guard Dunn fit into that rotation? And playing Wiggins out of position at SF full time is not an option.

[Calinks]

Apparently Markkenan grew up a Wolves fan.

Sounds like he just wants to be taken high lol.

He knows that the way to make the wolves love you is to praise them and Minnesota. Its the easy key to being a fan favorite. Talk about how you love Minnesota or something about Minnesota and its lights out, you are a king. If we draft him he will say something to that affect and everyone who is pissed will like "Awww shucks!" and get on the bandwagon. I am not anti drafting him but I think this Collins kid I got over him right now.

[Worm Guts]

What about Rubio? How does he coexist with Smith? Rubio is a lock to get at least 30 minutes at pg. Then Wiggins and LaVine will take up almost all of the minutes at sg. That leaves Dunn and Jones with zero minutes.

Are you ready to throw in the towel on Dunn, a 2nd year player because he looked bad in his rookie year? You need to give these young guys a chance to develop.

Not giving up on Dunn - said he can have a role as a combo guard who's value stems from his defensive ability. I think he can coexist with Smith.

Rubio is here now and I think he's a fine bridge guard for when Smith is ready to take the reigns. You are looking at drafting a PG through the scope of the 2017-18 season. Look further.

In three years when Wiggins is 25 and Towns is 24 and the Warriors are coming down from what appears to be a long-lasting dominant stretch, Smith would be all of 22 years old. That's a potential Big 3 without even accounting for Lavine or whoever else the team might add.

SF: Wiggins 20/Free Agent 28
SG: Lavine 32/Wiggins 16
PG: Rubio 30/Smith 18

Where does combo guard Dunn fit into that rotation?

Obviously if we drafted Smith then Wiggins is a full-time SF, and Dunn becomes a backup SG as opposed a combo guard.
It may be a way to get the most talent on to the team, but it's not really putting that talent into optimal position to succeed I don't think.

[TheProdigy]

Not giving up on Dunn - said he can have a role as a combo guard who's value stems from his defensive ability. I think he can coexist with Smith.

Rubio is here now and I think he's a fine bridge guard for when Smith is ready to take the reigns. You are looking at drafting a PG through the scope of the 2017-18 season. Look further.

In three years when Wiggins is 25 and Towns is 24 and the Warriors are coming down from what appears to be a long-lasting dominant stretch, Smith would be all of 22 years old. That's a potential Big 3 without even accounting for Lavine or whoever else the team might add.

SF: Wiggins 20/Free Agent 28
SG: Lavine 32/Wiggins 16
PG: Rubio 30/Smith 18

Where does combo guard Dunn fit into that rotation?

Obviously if we drafted Smith then Wiggins is a full-time SF, and Dunn becomes a backup SG as opposed a combo guard.
It may be a way to get the most talent on to the team, but it's not really putting that talent into optimal position to succeed I don't think.

Isn't it important to put our blue chip players into position to succeed? I think its been pretty clear that Wiggins struggles going against bigger players for an entire game.

[Worm Guts]

SF: Wiggins 20/Free Agent 28
SG: Lavine 32/Wiggins 16
PG: Rubio 30/Smith 18

Where does combo guard Dunn fit into that rotation?

Obviously if we drafted Smith then Wiggins is a full-time SF, and Dunn becomes a backup SG as opposed a combo guard.
It may be a way to get the most talent on to the team, but it's not really putting that talent into optimal position to succeed I don't think.

Isn't it important to put our blue chip players into position to succeed? I think its been pretty clear that Wiggins struggles going against bigger players for an entire game.

In this situation I think we should move Dunn or Rubio to clear room for Smith.
But it's probably why I favor drafting a big. I question whether it's worth shifting our team around and arguably setting our team back.

[Klomp]

Read on Twitter

Nothing has been coming out of the Wolves room. Not on draft. Not on trades.

[MN7725]

Read on Twitter

Nothing has been coming out of the Wolves room. Not on draft. Not on trades.

Right, and most of the assumptions about the Wolves from the experts/talking heads usually revolve around how desperately win-now Thibs is despite a year's worth of evidence to the contrary

[Klomp]

Read on Twitter

Given Ntilikina's contributions at the professional level, it's reasonable to be optimistic about his NBA potential. Although he's a little thin, his 6-5 frame gives him the flexibility to develop into a shooting guard as much as a point guard and helps his chances of staying in the league. He has been getting minutes on a professional team the past two seasons and has shown steady improvement.

In comparison to the rest of this class, he's younger than everyone but Ike Anigbogu and Markelle Fultz yet has more professional experience than everyone except a few 21-year-old international players. Ntilikina might be somewhat of an unknown to NBA fans, but league executives are optimistic about his potential for what appear to be sound reasons.

[Murphs56]

Read on Twitter

Nothing has been coming out of the Wolves room. Not on draft. Not on trades.

Right, and most of the assumptions about the Wolves from the experts/talking heads usually revolve around how desperately win-now Thibs is despite a year's worth of evidence to the contrary

Thibs did mention the "Young Core" today and being smart in FA. Not signing players where their windows don't match with the cores

[HalcyonBanger]

Obviously if we drafted Smith then Wiggins is a full-time SF, and Dunn becomes a backup SG as opposed a combo guard.
It may be a way to get the most talent on to the team, but it's not really putting that talent into optimal position to succeed I don't think.

Isn't it important to put our blue chip players into position to succeed? I think its been pretty clear that Wiggins struggles going against bigger players for an entire game.

In this situation I think we should move Dunn or Rubio to clear room for Smith.
But it's probably why I favor drafting a big. I question whether it's worth shifting our team around and arguably setting our team back.

How about trading both to make space for DSJ and Pat Bev

[MN7725]

Since the lotto order came out, my dream scenario has been swapping picks with Det and one of Johnson, Morris, Harris and getting Lauri at #12 (Don't think Tatum/Jackson/Isaac will be at #7)

I assume Thibs and SVG have good relationship due to the obvious JVG connection and teams seem to work with previously established relationships

Pretty much every mock has Det taking a guard, not sure if difference of DSJ/Monk and Mitchell/Kennard would be one of those wings for Det, Detroit will be close or at the luxury tax if they keep KCP, so Harris's $14 mil/yr would make the most sense to give up

[theGreatRC]

Read on Twitter

Nothing has been coming out of the Wolves room. Not on draft. Not on trades.

I noticed that. Wolves aren't a team that gets people talking on twitter, sports forums, etc. So it's easy to bring up BS trades and Minnesota gets the raw end of the deal.

Just like last year, supposedly NYK turned down a straight Rose for Rubio swap, now DAL turns down Ricky+7 for Wes+9 when anyone with a brain can see that the Mavs win that trade if it went down.

[HalcyonBanger]

Since the lotto order came out, my dream scenario has been swapping picks with Det and one of Johnson, Morris, Harris and getting Lauri at #12 (Don't think Tatum/Jackson/Isaac will be at #7)

I assume Thibs and SVG have good relationship due to the obvious JVG connection and teams seem to work with previously established relationships

Pretty much every mock has Det taking a guard, not sure if difference of DSJ/Monk and Mitchell/Kennard would be one of those wings for Det, Detroit will be close or at the luxury tax if they keep KCP, so Harris's $14 mil/yr would make the most sense to give up

Are you not concerned about Markkenan's ability on defense and rebounding? I'm pretty iffy on his athleticism and overall skill level. Has similar skillset and weaknesses as guys like Kaminsky, Ryan Anderson, Mirotic, and Meyers Leonard. Dirk is obviously the guy you desperately pray for him to develop into but seems like a low possibility.

[MN7725]

Since the lotto order came out, my dream scenario has been swapping picks with Det and one of Johnson, Morris, Harris and getting Lauri at #12 (Don't think Tatum/Jackson/Isaac will be at #7)

I assume Thibs and SVG have good relationship due to the obvious JVG connection and teams seem to work with previously established relationships

Pretty much every mock has Det taking a guard, not sure if difference of DSJ/Monk and Mitchell/Kennard would be one of those wings for Det, Detroit will be close or at the luxury tax if they keep KCP, so Harris's $14 mil/yr would make the most sense to give up

Are you not concerned about Markkenan's ability on defense and rebounding? I'm pretty iffy on his athleticism and overall skill level. Has similar skillset and weaknesses as guys like Kaminsky, Ryan Anderson, Mirotic, and Meyers Leonard. Dirk is obviously the guy you desperately pray for him to develop into but seems like a low possibility.

Sure, that's why I'd rather have him at #12 instead of #7 like some mocks have

Although I think his rebounding concerns are overblown and ignore the context of how funky the Arizona season was and how Markkanen was used

Skill level his offensive game is about as complete as can be, have no idea why he gets compared to strictly catch/shoot players
Way more dynamic with the ball

But maybe I'm wrong and he is just a floor spacer, still extremely valuable to have from a big position and late lotto is when role players are more common/acceptable outcome for a prospect

[HalcyonBanger]

Since the lotto order came out, my dream scenario has been swapping picks with Det and one of Johnson, Morris, Harris and getting Lauri at #12 (Don't think Tatum/Jackson/Isaac will be at #7)

I assume Thibs and SVG have good relationship due to the obvious JVG connection and teams seem to work with previously established relationships

Pretty much every mock has Det taking a guard, not sure if difference of DSJ/Monk and Mitchell/Kennard would be one of those wings for Det, Detroit will be close or at the luxury tax if they keep KCP, so Harris's $14 mil/yr would make the most sense to give up

Are you not concerned about Markkenan's ability on defense and rebounding? I'm pretty iffy on his athleticism and overall skill level. Has similar skillset and weaknesses as guys like Kaminsky, Ryan Anderson, Mirotic, and Meyers Leonard. Dirk is obviously the guy you desperately pray for him to develop into but seems like a low possibility.

Sure, that's why I'd rather have him at #12 instead of #7 like some mocks have

Although I think his rebounding concerns are overblown and ignore the context of how funky the Arizona season was and how Markkanen was used

Skill level his offensive game is about as complete as can be, have no idea why he gets compared to strictly catch/shoot players
Way more dynamic with the ball

But maybe I'm wrong and he is just a floor spacer, still extremely valuable to have from a big position and late lotto is when role players are more common/acceptable outcome for a prospect

He can dribble around for a big, but I wonder if he can get through the lane and be effective with his speed and his handles. I just don't think he is fast enough or is tight enough with the ball for the NBA. He can obviously post up and operate inside with a variety of moves, but offense aside, I'm just mostly worried about his defense/rebounding. I could see that he was used differently, but wolves really need rebounding especially so a little tentative to rationalize his production in college. He is interesting, I would like him a lot more if this draft wasn't so loaded with tantalizing potential.

[minimus]

Cam Oliver is an interesting prospect. I hope we get late 1st or 2nd round pick
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/cam-oliver